Thousands flee fighting in southern Philippines

Manila: Nearly 130,000 people have fled their homes as Muslim separatists and government troops clashed in southern Philippines, officials said on Monday.

More than 60,000 people were staying in temporary shelters and dozens of houses were destroyed after the clashes, a disaster official said.

Military planes bombed suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) positions in North Cotabato on Sunday after hundreds of rebels refused to leave Catholic farmlands they occupied since last month.

"Fighting has not spilled over to the Muslim areas," said army spokesman Brigadier-General Jorge Segovia. "We have sufficient forces to contain the violence in North Cotabato."

An agreement on the size of a Muslim homeland was halted last week by the Supreme Court amid protests by Catholic politicians.

Legal experts said the Supreme Court will likely rule the territorial deal unconstitutional and order the MILF and the government back to the drawing board.